In vehicle doors, latches are provided for retaining the door in a closed position, with an associated logic or actuator assembly to control opening and closing of the door, as well as locking and unlocking of the latch mechanism. The door structure often includes an inside sill button which is movable between locked and unlocked positions. A common problem with vehicle doors is the accidental actuation or depressing of the sill button when the door is opened, which causes the door to be locked when the door is closed. Such automatic locking of the door upon accidental actuation of the sill button locks the person out of the vehicle if the keys are left in the vehicle or are not otherwise available.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved latch and logic assembly for a vehicle door having a no-lock-out feature.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved latch and logic assembly for vehicle doors having components which are economically manufactured and durable in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
The latch and logic assembly of the present invention includes a latch and an associated logic or actuator for mounting on a vehicle door. The latch has a catch and a rotor movable between a closed position to retain a striker bolt on the door and an open position to release the striker bolt. The logic is operatively connected to the inside and outside door handles, as well as to the sill button of the door. The logic is mounted on the latch and receives input from the inside and outside door handles and the sill button so as to control movement of the rotor between the open and closed positions.
More particularly, the logic includes an inside release arm connected to the inside door handle such that the logic moves the rotor from the closed position to the open position in response to input from the inside door handle. The logic also includes an outside release arm connected to the outside door handle, such that the logic moves the rotor from the closed position to the open position in response to input from the outside door handle. The logic further includes a lock arm connected to the sill button such that the logic will lock the rotor against movement from the closed position to the open position in response to input from the outside door handle when the sill button is locked. Also, when the rotor is in the open position, the lock arm will prevent the sill button from being moved to the locked position, thereby preventing accidental locking of the door.